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I work remotely, and I will never go back to an office again if I have any say in it. It is simply so much more enjoyable and is great for my life and soul. I

I work remotely, and I will never go back to an office again if I have any say in it. It is simply so much more enjoyable and is great for my life and soul. I go for a longer walk with my dogs after lunch, listening to a podcast or audiobook and just enjoy. I don't really enjoy the concrete that cities provide to you and working remotely allows me to live in a cheaper, bigger and I believe more healthy place. If you have the possibility, work remotely at least a couple of days a week. I think you will enjoy it. One big downside is obviously the lack of social interaction which can be frustrating at times but it's basically the only big downside for me at least. A minor downside is it feels like the days goes by faster, I believe this is due to each day being so similar so the brain does not simply register the day in the same way it does when you travel away from your home. Just as being on vacation in a different country makes the vacation feel much longer than it would if you spend that at home. It sounds like something that is nice, but in reality, you don't really want to feel like your life is just flashing by. But it also gives you perspective to work on stuff you feel is important and provide value.

bsharitt 7y ago
I also work remotely and being able to work remote will definitely be a major factor in taking any other jobs in the future. For me it comes do to avoiding a terrible commute and the open office trend has made it more and more difficult actually get work done in the office. I'm lucky enough to have a hobby where I can interact with people and get that social outlet. So for me there's not really been a downside. In fact it's more of an upside where my social interactions are with people I choose to be around doing something I want to do rather that with people I'm around by default doing something I have to do.
GoToRO 7y ago
Social life: if you want a busy one just start calling. The more you call the busier it will be. Time passes too fast: it seems that we register the events in our life and not the actual time. A busy schedule will make your life "slow down". At least that's what I read somewhere.
kitten_smuggler 7y ago
For me, a 100% remote job was great at first but quickly became torture and lead to some really unhealthy habits (more snacking, increased alcohol intake, staying up late and sleeping until 7:55 etc.) - but everyone is different and perhaps someone who is more of an introvert would do better than I did with this.
- lucasmullens 7y ago
  > sleeping until 7:55 That's an unhealthy habit? I usually wake up at 8:30
  - jay_kyburz 7y ago
    It is when you start work at 8:00.
    - lucasmullens 7y ago
      Oh, I see. Yeah I could definitely see myself waking up 5 minutes before a meeting if I worked remotely, which would be a bit unhealthy.
- b3orn 7y ago
  > more snacking There are free snacks at the office while remote I'd have to buy my own, so less snacking for me. Same goes for the alcohol, I can't participate in office parties, if I'm not at the office.
realbarack 7y ago
I currently work remotely and enjoy it for a lot of the reasons you say. However I've had a pretty tough time with loneliness. I moved to a new city (relationship reasons) which is always challenging, but I think remote work has made those challenges particularly acute. I think of myself as a fairly social person (at least relative to software engineers) but I've struggled a bit with this one.
- ryanSrich 7y ago
  Coming up on 6 years of remote work and I’ve found that if it weren’t for my wife (who works locally), I’d have zero friends within a 2,000 mile radius. She has basically built our entire social fabric from the various jobs she’s had locally. I could see how being single and being remote could run a toll.
- knappe 7y ago
  Suggestion: Go to meetups (tech or otherwise) and other social activities. I've found this to be the best way to meet people who have a shared interest and are looking to be social. I've been remote for most of my career and this has been so important to my ability to stay remote. Yes it will be awkward at first, but it won't take long to meet enough people to make friends and it really only builds on itself from there.
- ecmascript 7y ago
  I struggle with this sometimes myself. I also consider myself to be very social, unfortunately I live in a country where people don't speak to eachother unless there is a reason for it. But if you want, hit me up on hn@ecmascript.tv and we can talk further.
vbuwivbiu 7y ago
I think the lack of social interaction from the office is a good thing because it's healthier for our friends to be outside of our work
scrdhrt 7y ago
I've been working 100% remote as a contractor/gigger the last four years, with the exception of half a day/whole day stints at the clients office from time to time. It has been working great for me, I have been super productive and have come up with some really creative ideas that have turned into several side businesses. I also sometimes miss the social part of working in an office. When I get lonely I just rent a flexible desk by the hour at a co-working space where some friends or industry acquaintances work and work there for a week to get my social fix. There is also almost daily breakfast/lunch/dinner tech meetups/network events in my city so it's easy to hang out with other cool and smart people.
- oAlbe 7y ago
  > There is also almost daily breakfast/lunch/dinner tech meetups/network events in my city so it's easy to hang out with other cool and smart people. Wow,that sounds really interesting, I never thought something similar could be a thing. Out of curiosity, where do you live?
  - scrdhrt 7y ago
    I live in Stockholm, Sweden.
- ecmascript 7y ago
  > There is also almost daily breakfast/lunch/dinner tech meetups/network events in my city Could you perhaps share some of the events you are going to? I happen to live outside the city you live in, so it is relevant to me :)
  - scrdhrt 7y ago
    I use a combination of Meetup and LinkedIn, sometimes Telegram, Facebook or Twitter, and usually scout a couple of weeks to a month or so in advance. At these events I've met with people and connected after, got invited to some private event, meet more people etc. Right now in mid July there is not many events, just a few, but check out Stockholm Startup Founder, Let's do business STHLM, STHLM Tech Meetup and SUP46 on Meetup to get started for after summer. Add own flavours to fit your interests and focus. I also use LinkedIn quite a bit to find events for specific areas I am interested in. Many times a post with just "Any tech aw going on today/this week/soon?" have been an easy way to get to know what's going on. It's usually at least a few companies hosting something to attend.

bsharitt 7y ago

I also work remotely and being able to work remote will definitely be a major factor in taking any other jobs in the future. For me it comes do to avoiding a terrible commute and the open office trend has made it more and more difficult actually get work done in the office. I'm lucky enough to have a hobby where I can interact with people and get that social outlet. So for me there's not really been a downside. In fact it's more of an upside where my social interactions are with people I choose to be around doing something I want to do rather that with people I'm around by default doing something I have to do.

GoToRO 7y ago

Social life: if you want a busy one just start calling. The more you call the busier it will be. Time passes too fast: it seems that we register the events in our life and not the actual time. A busy schedule will make your life "slow down". At least that's what I read somewhere.

kitten_smuggler 7y ago

For me, a 100% remote job was great at first but quickly became torture and lead to some really unhealthy habits (more snacking, increased alcohol intake, staying up late and sleeping until 7:55 etc.) - but everyone is different and perhaps someone who is more of an introvert would do better than I did with this.

lucasmullens 7y ago
> sleeping until 7:55 That's an unhealthy habit? I usually wake up at 8:30
- jay_kyburz 7y ago
  It is when you start work at 8:00.
  - lucasmullens 7y ago
    Oh, I see. Yeah I could definitely see myself waking up 5 minutes before a meeting if I worked remotely, which would be a bit unhealthy.
b3orn 7y ago
> more snacking There are free snacks at the office while remote I'd have to buy my own, so less snacking for me. Same goes for the alcohol, I can't participate in office parties, if I'm not at the office.

realbarack 7y ago

I currently work remotely and enjoy it for a lot of the reasons you say. However I've had a pretty tough time with loneliness. I moved to a new city (relationship reasons) which is always challenging, but I think remote work has made those challenges particularly acute. I think of myself as a fairly social person (at least relative to software engineers) but I've struggled a bit with this one.

ryanSrich 7y ago
Coming up on 6 years of remote work and I’ve found that if it weren’t for my wife (who works locally), I’d have zero friends within a 2,000 mile radius. She has basically built our entire social fabric from the various jobs she’s had locally. I could see how being single and being remote could run a toll.
knappe 7y ago
Suggestion: Go to meetups (tech or otherwise) and other social activities. I've found this to be the best way to meet people who have a shared interest and are looking to be social. I've been remote for most of my career and this has been so important to my ability to stay remote. Yes it will be awkward at first, but it won't take long to meet enough people to make friends and it really only builds on itself from there.
ecmascript 7y ago
I struggle with this sometimes myself. I also consider myself to be very social, unfortunately I live in a country where people don't speak to eachother unless there is a reason for it. But if you want, hit me up on hn@ecmascript.tv and we can talk further.

vbuwivbiu 7y ago

I think the lack of social interaction from the office is a good thing because it's healthier for our friends to be outside of our work

scrdhrt 7y ago

I've been working 100% remote as a contractor/gigger the last four years, with the exception of half a day/whole day stints at the clients office from time to time. It has been working great for me, I have been super productive and have come up with some really creative ideas that have turned into several side businesses. I also sometimes miss the social part of working in an office. When I get lonely I just rent a flexible desk by the hour at a co-working space where some friends or industry acquaintances work and work there for a week to get my social fix. There is also almost daily breakfast/lunch/dinner tech meetups/network events in my city so it's easy to hang out with other cool and smart people.

oAlbe 7y ago
> There is also almost daily breakfast/lunch/dinner tech meetups/network events in my city so it's easy to hang out with other cool and smart people. Wow,that sounds really interesting, I never thought something similar could be a thing. Out of curiosity, where do you live?
- scrdhrt 7y ago
  I live in Stockholm, Sweden.
ecmascript 7y ago
> There is also almost daily breakfast/lunch/dinner tech meetups/network events in my city Could you perhaps share some of the events you are going to? I happen to live outside the city you live in, so it is relevant to me :)
- scrdhrt 7y ago
  I use a combination of Meetup and LinkedIn, sometimes Telegram, Facebook or Twitter, and usually scout a couple of weeks to a month or so in advance. At these events I've met with people and connected after, got invited to some private event, meet more people etc. Right now in mid July there is not many events, just a few, but check out Stockholm Startup Founder, Let's do business STHLM, STHLM Tech Meetup and SUP46 on Meetup to get started for after summer. Add own flavours to fit your interests and focus. I also use LinkedIn quite a bit to find events for specific areas I am interested in. Many times a post with just "Any tech aw going on today/this week/soon?" have been an easy way to get to know what's going on. It's usually at least a few companies hosting something to attend.